llenge had been in
any way connected with her. She had only been very emphatic on the point
of its not being connected with poor dear Irene, and then occupied
herself with her sweet flowers. That had been sufficient, and she felt
in her bones and marrow that he inferred what she had meant him to
infer....

The vulture of surmise ceased to peck at her for a few moments as she
considered this, and followed up a thread of gold.... Though the Padre
would surely be discreet, she hoped that he would "let slip" to dear
Evie in the course of the vivid conversation they would be sure to have
over lunch, that he had a good guess as to the cause which had led to
that savage challenge. Upon which dear Evie would be certain to ply him
with direct squeaks and questions, and when she "got hot" (as in animal,
vegetable and mineral) his reticence would lead her to make a good
guess too. She might be incredulous, but there the idea would be in her
mind, while if she felt that these stirring days were no time for
scepticism, she could hardly fail to be interested and touched. Before
long (how soon Miss Mapp was happily not aware) she would "pop in" to
see Diva, or Diva would "pop in" to see her, and, Evie observing a
discretion similar to that of the Padre and herself, would soon enable
dear Diva to make a good guess too. After that, all would be well, for
dear Diva ("such a gossiping darling") would undoubtedly tell everybody
in Tilling, under vows of secrecy (so that she should have the pleasure
of telling everybody herself) just what her good guess was. Thus, very
presently, all Tilling would know exactly that which Miss Mapp had not
said to the dear Padre, namely, that the duel which had been fought (or
which hadn't been fought) was "all about" her. And the best of it was,
that though everybody knew, it would still be a great and beautiful
secret, reposing inviolably in every breast or chest, as the case might
be. She had no anxiety about anybody asking direct questions of the
duellists, for if duelling, for years past, had been a subject which no
delicately-minded person alluded to purposely in Major Benjy's presence,
how much more now after this critical morning would that subject be
taboo? That certainly was a good thing, for the duellists if closely
questioned might have a different explanation, and it would be highly
inconvenient to have two contradictory stories going about. But, as it
was, nothing could be nicer: the whole of t